Stop the spread of 'stomach flu'

Follow some simple steps from the Ionia County Health Department to guard against norovirus

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By Staff Reports

Ionia Sentinel - Standard-Ionia, MI

By Staff Reports

Posted Jan. 3, 2013 at 8:40 PM
Updated Jan 8, 2013 at 10:58 PM

By Staff Reports

Posted Jan. 3, 2013 at 8:40 PM
Updated Jan 8, 2013 at 10:58 PM

IONIA COUNTY, Mich.

IONIA COUNTY — Winter, "the cold and flu season," is typically the time of year when gastrointestinal illness, what many call "the stomach flu," is on the rise.

This illness actually has nothing to do with the flu, or influenza, which is a respiratory illness, but is caused by a highly contagious norovirus, which can be responsible for large outbreaks in communal settings, such as health care facilities, schools and childcare centers.

Symptoms of the norovirus illness include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever and headache. There is no specific treatment for norovirus, and symptoms typically resolve within 48 hours.

"Ionia County residents can play an important role in helping to stop the spread of norovirus and other illnesses," said Joanne Eakins, personal health director with the Ionia County Health Department (ICHD). "But it requires that all of us be vigilant in our personal hygiene habits."

Noroviruses can be transmitted in a number of ways, including through person-to-person contact, by consumption of contaminated food and water, in airborne droplets of vomit, and through contact with contaminated surfaces like doorknobs and faucets.

Eakins recommends following these steps to aid in preventing the spread of the illness:

• Wash hands with soap and warm water after using the bathroom, changing diapers or caring for a household member with symptoms of norovirus.

• Wash hands with soap and warm water before preparing or eating food.

• Cook shellfish thoroughly before eating.

• Wash raw vegetables before eating.

• Food service workers with symptoms of norovirus should not prepare or touch food.

• Health care workers with norovirus symptoms should stay home from work.

• Children with norovirus symptoms should stay home from school or child care.

"Following these simple measures will help everyone stay healthy during this winter season," Eakins said.

More information about norovirus is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus. Call the ICHD with questions at 616-527-5341.